Have you ever heard about the “pregnancy glow”?
That magical glow pregnant woman get, making their skin all radiant and their faces a pleasure to look at?
People tell you your face will look plump and youthful, despite morning sickness and fatigue, despite insomnia and sugar cravings.

Clinique Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30 in 02

Now I am calling all my fellow mommy bloggers out there: Was it true in your case? Because it damn sure isn’t true in mine!
The one thing I can probably agree on is: I look much younger.
In fact, I pretty much look like my 14 year old self again: A face full of hormonal spots and hair that needs a wash probably every three hours. Just with the added wrinkles of a 36 year old…

So gone are the days of careless application of powder, and back I am looking for quick but at least medium coverage.
First on my list: My sample of Clinique Age Defense BB Cream in the shade 02.

What Clinique claims:
Age Defense BB Cream offers SPF protection, antioxidants for prevention plus enough coverage to banish imperfections. The perfect primer, too.

Facts:
One full size bottle contains 40 ml (1.4 oz) and retails for 38 $ on the Clinique website or 28 € on Amazon here.

There are four shades available, named 01 (very fair with pink undertones), 02 (very fair to moderatly fair with golden undertones), 03 (moderately fair to medium with golden undertones) and 04 (golden to deeper complexions).
Despite being a BB cream, the coverage is medium and buildable, so a little more variety in the shade selection would have been helpful.
That being said, shade 02 works perfectly with my skin tone and is easy to blend in. I typically apply it with my fingers and blend it with my beauty blender.

Squeezed right out of the tube.

The finish is dewy for sure, and if I don’t use powder it stays that way throughout wear time, which is around 4 hours. If not for blog picture reasons, I always powder and thus increase the staying power to around six hours.

Upon application the BB cream has a slightly heavier feel to it. It is quite hydrating and a little too rich for me throughout the warmer months, but as it is marketed as anti-aging I reckon mature skin would get on pretty well with it.

Favorable ingredients:
– Barley Extract: Antioxidant
– Wheat Germ Extract: Antioxidant
– Linoleic Acid: Omega-6 fatty acid, promotes healing
– Urea: Hydrating
– Tocopheryl Actetate: Vitamin E, antioxydant
– Hyaluronate: Moisturizing
– Xanthan Gum: Smoothing

Unfavorable Ingredients:
– Silicones

The sunscreens used are both physical and chemical, it contains no added fragrances.

Now onto the pictures:
1. Bare skin, tired face.
Only eye makeup done, no concealer, no blush, no powder.

Bare face, pimples and redness.

2. One to two layers of Cliniques Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30.
Still a tired face, no concealer and no powder.

Clinique Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30.

Does it live up to its claims?
Yes.
It contains SPF, antioxidants and offers coverage, just as claimed. In addition I can say that it is properly hydrating and thus suited well for slightly drier, more mature skin.

Will I rebuy?
No.
It is a little too rich for me, at least in my state of hormonal disarray, and I prefer my bases to feel lightweight.

Who do I recommend it to?
If your skin is normal to dry and you want decent coverage as well as a dewy finish, you will probably love it.
If skin care is a big concern for you or you want to keep on top of the damage done to your skin, this will give you a nice base as well as nice ingredients.
But if like me, your face is an oil slick, it will most likely be too rich for you.

Have you tried this one before?
And have you ever experienced the pregnancy glow?